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[magic612]

Scorpius is just about on the meridian as it gets dark, which means it is well-placed for viewing early in the evening. Catch several double stars here, along with a couple of globular clusters in the small area of sky near the first magnitude Antares (which should be visible even from Chicago!). Of course, you may wish to wait on the globulars until after the Moon revolves a bit further east, but that doesn't mean you should put your scope away. On the contrary, see some of the limb-hugging craters on either side of full which are highlighted by the terminator shadow. Plus, find out what's happening with Mars and Saturn in the evening and where Jupiter and Venus are headed in the morning sky.

[Paulie pchris00]

I'm such a pessimist. I see Scorpius on the meridian at nightfall as a bad thing, same as I see planetary oppositions. All too soon the Scorpion will be gone, taking with it all it's wonderful globular clusters.

Thanks for highlighting the Moon again. I see the evening Moon far more often than the morning, waning Moon, but I see the waning Moon more than most people, I'd wager. I love seeing the sunlight hit favorite lunar features from the other side (sunset). And yes, it's much easier to study the visual western limb just after full Moon than on an evening crescent.

Has Venus already hit greatest western elongation? I've seen it and Jupiter nearly every clear morning since it reappeared in the morning sky after the transit, but I haven't had mush telescope time with either planet yet. Venus's crescent was getting fat, but it hadn't hit half yet, last I saw. Or is Jupiter going through retrograde, putting distance on Venus? And if that's the case, why has Aldebaran been catching up to Jupiter? And why do so many people think I have all the answers when it comes to astronomy? Obviously I have just as many questions as answers. Some telescope time Wednesday morning should answer some of these, as well as a quick look at my 2012 planetary almanac.

[magic612]

I just didn't want people to miss the gems in Scorpius before we lose until... well, a long time from now.

I figured you'd appreciate the Moon highlights - I think I'll be doing that more. Not only do I want to learn more about the Moon, it's such an easy target that it makes it well-suited for most anyone. Big, bright, easy to find... perfect.

I don't think Venus is at greatest elongation yet, but I think it will be in a couple weeks - mid-August, maybe? I haven't checked recently. And I don't think Jupiter starts retrograde until autumn sometime. I'm pretty sure the distance between the two is largely a function 1) Venus being faster than either Earth and Jupiter and 2) the motion of Earth's orbit between them. Jupiter kind of sits there in the sky because it's farther out in the solar system, while Venus zips ahead of us and therefore creates distance in the sky with the gas giant.

I hope that made sense!

[Paulie pchris00]

You nailed it! Venus is at Greatest Western Elongation 4 AM CDST August 15.

Sometimes it's hard for me to visualize all of the motions going on in the sky and recognize them when I'm observing. Your explanation makes sense.

[Paulie pchris00]

Jupiter is definitely putting some distance on Venus. They were rising about a half hour apart about a month ago, and now Venus is rising more than a half hour after Jupiter. I forgot to see how many minutes apart they were when I had the chance, but it's noticeably more than a half hour. Also, Venus was displaying a fat crescent Wednesday morning.